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(No'ModeL G. F. M. T. LARTIGUE. SYSTEM OF TRANSPORT ON A SINGLE RAIL. N0. 270,083.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. M. T. LARTIGUE, ()F PARTS, FRANCE. ASSIGNOR TO HENRI GARPENTIER, OF SAME PLACE.

SYSTEM OFI-TRANSPORT ON'A SHGGLE RAIVL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,083, dated January 2, 1883. Application filed July 26,1882. (No model.)

I all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES FRANQOIS MARIE THEREsE LARTIGUE, of Paris, France,

civil engineer, have invented a new and Ira proved System of Transport on a Single Rail; andl do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot'the same,

reference being had to the annexed sheet of drawings, making a part of the same.

The object of my invention is a system of transport on a single rail, applicable for the transport of passengers, troops, and wounded,

and for agricultural purposes, mines, earthworks, &c. The principal characteristic features of this system of transport are the arrangement of the line and the wagon which moves upon it; and in order to make myself better understood I have shown in the annexed drawings, under the head of specimemditferent views of arrangements putting my invention into practice.

Figure 1 shows an end view of the track and wagon. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the upper part of the wagon. Fig. 3 shows acrosssection on thecenter line of the same. Fig.4 shows on a smaller scale a cross-section taken on the center line of one of the wheels. Figs.

5 and 6 show the details of the coupling of the rails. Fig. 7 is adiagram showing the arrangement and workihg of branch lines and crossings. Fig. 8 shows the section, and Fig. 9 the elevation, of the junction of the rails upon their supports.

In these various figures similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.

The track is composed of athin rail, a,having preferably the form shown in the drawings. This rail is mounted on supports b, which are fixed to the ground by means of spikes c, or in any other suitable manner. These supports b are pivoted at d on the rail and cut away ate, as shown in Fig.9, in order to allow them to be folded alongthe rail for the purpose of facilitating their transport.

The coupling. of the rails is made as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. Each length of rail has at one of its extremitigs fish-plates f, which are fixed to'it by means ofthe bolts h. The other extremity of each length has notches corresponding in number to the bolts it. These lengths, therefore, can be fitted by means of booking them together, as will be easily understood by the simple inspection of Figs. 5 and 6. The bolts k can be suitably tightened after the rails have been booked together.

The branch lines and crossings can be arranged to take place very easily, owingto the transversal'. flexibility of my track. The diagram Fig. 7 shows two cases of this sort. a a a are the lengths of rail composing the permanenttracmand a the lengths serving for thejunction'and tliecrossing. Intheselengths the supports b are no longer spiked to the ground, as was above the case; but they are bolted to a foot-piece. When it is wished to effect the change of lines the man to whom this duty belongs takes the length a. and moves it in the directionshown by thedotted lines, Fig. 7, in such away as to hook it on the following length, so as to arrange thejunction or the crossing of the road is. This switching of the track itself is one of the'characteristic points of .my invention.

The wagon intended to run upon the track,- constructed in the above-described manner, necessarily varies in form and dimensions, as well as the track itself, according to the purposes for which my system is to be employed. Nevertheless, to give a fixed idea of the method, 1 have represented an arrangement in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. As seen in these figures, the wagon is composed of two wheels, I, mounted upon an upper frame, m, to which the sides or pan niers a ot'the wagon are attached, which are fixed to it etc, as shown by Fig. 1, or in any other suitable manner. The frame in has two lateral checks, at, which carry at their lower part horizontal rollers 12, which act to prevent the rocking of the wagon and prevent it leaving the rail. .It will be understood, besides, by the examination of Fig. 1, that, the center of gravity being always much below the point ofsuspension, the equilibrium is always very stable. A lubricator, q, placed in the center of the wagomas represented in Fig. 2, supplies to the plumber-blocks of the wheels 1, as well as to the axles of the horizontal rollers 19, the amount of oil necessary to their lubrication by means of the grooves r and r. (Represented by dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in section in Fig. 4.)

The panniers n can bemadein any suitable manner without changing anything in the nature of my invention. poses, for example, they are simple baskets, into which is thrown the matter to be transported. For military purposes, sea-ts are hooked to the supports a, and they can be turned upside down, raised up, or turned down, so as to permit the transport of wounded in a reclining position; and, further, two or more panniers can be coupled together by means of jointed seats, in order to permit the transport of men lying down or a greater number of men seated, according to the length of the train. For transporting passengers I can raise the rail and suspend from each side of it two carriages fixed to the same wagon, similartothepanniers'n; and,lastly,form'ines, earthworks, &c., I replace themetal plate or trellis of the panniers by a skep which is in unstable equilibrium when loaded, and is kept in position by means of a bolt under the control ot'a single rope or chain passingthe whole length of the tram, and permitting the whole train to be tipped to the right or the left by a single movement.

I will remark that my system of transport is very applicable to all agricultural transporting on account of thee movability and lightness of the track. Again, for crossing rivers no work of art is necessary. Two cables suitably stretched are suflicient to sustain the foot of the supports. I am, moreover,

For agricultural pur-' always master of the profile of the track by varying the height of the said supports. Lastly, I reserve to myself the right of placing along the track telegraphic or telephonic wires, which may be mounted directly upon the railsupports, and can be equally formed of lengths suitably joined together in such a manner that each length of rail carries its own wire, and their placing in position is efi'ected simultaneous'ly. I reserve to myself the right of drawing my Wagons in .my system of transport by any means whatever, hand or horse labor, any sort of motors, or by rope-traction by means of motors placed at the extremities of the track.

I claim 1. In a system of transport on a single rail,

a track composed of a thin rail; a, mounted on pivoted supportsb, fixed to the ground by means of spikes or in any other suitable manner, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In asystem of transport on 'a single rail, a wagon formed of cheeks m, wheels l, horizontal rollers p, with lubricator q, and of suspenders n, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a system of transport on a single rail, the rails 01, a, coupled by means of fish-plates f, notches i, and bolts 9, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES FRANQ'OIS MARIE THERESE LARTIGUE.

Witnesses:

E. P. MAOLEAN, JEAN BAPTIS'IE ROLLAND. 

